Background <p>Emotional intelligence, clinical competence, and job performance are increasingly becoming critical areas of focus for organizations navigating turbulent and complex environments. This study aims to examine the impact of emotional intelligence on job performance, mediated by the clinical competence of nurses working in hospitals affiliated with Jiroft University of Medical Sciences in southern Iran in 2024.</p> Methods <p>This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 385 nurses. Standardized questionnaires on emotional intelligence, clinical competence, and job performance were used for data collection. To analyze the data, descriptive tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) using partial least squares (PLS) were employed with the help of Smart PLS3 and SPSS23 software.</p> Results <p>The results showed that emotional intelligence positively affects nurses’ job performance (<i>p</i> = 0.001, β = 0.53). Emotional intelligence also has a positive impact on clinical competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001, β = 0.46). Furthermore, clinical competence was found to positively affect job performance (<i>p</i> = 0.001, β = 0.57). Ultimately, emotional intelligence, through the mediating role of clinical competence, has a significant positive effect on job performance (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001).</p> Conclusion <p>Based on the findings, the favourable status of nurses’ emotional intelligence and clinical competence can improve their job performance. It is recommended that hospital managers facilitate related training courses and workshops to improve nurses’ emotional intelligence and clinical competence, which can, in turn, enhance their job performance.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>